Brenda Stichter, artist

New Every Morning #39 There have been those times in my life that I know I will never forget - the times that everything else fits around. "That was BEFORE we moved to Indiana..." or "after we closed the coffee shop". Well, just like you, I am in another of those times now, and we are all in it together - even globally. The odd thing about this time is, time seems to have completely changed. I cannot ever remember a month passing so slowly, even when I was on complete bed-rest when I was pregnant with my son and then also with my daughter. Is our globe spinning at a different rate? Today's painting starts with a composition that shows a heavy, overpowering shape with surprising bright areas showing through. And even with the competing complements of green and red, there is a kind of cohesiveness and flow - my eye wants to see what is in each area of the painting.  6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on hand-made, pr...

Frontier If you follow me very closely, you know that almost a year ago, in May, my family and I went to Alaska. It was a trip of a lifetime, when our adult kids put their lives on hold and joined my Beloved Husband and me for a long drive in an RV, and a short time in the beautiful frontier of Alaska. During the time that we were often unable to be in touch with anyone because of lack of internet and cell service, my father-in-law passed away. As you might imagine, it was such a difficult time, and our memories of Alaska are definitely and permanently colored by this stress and sorrow that are inextricably tied with our mental pictures of that beautiful place.  In spite of the hardships of our trip (four adults living for weeks in a too small RV, lack of contact through phone and internet, loss), there were good things that came about. We battled through some communication roadblocks. We took the opportunity to love each other when we behaved in unlovable ways. We shared bea...

New Every Morning #38 Here we are, all of us, in an unprecedented situation. It seems that daily, new restrictions are arising, and new questions come to my mind, as I am sure they do to yours. I am daily, or maybe hourly or even continuously, returning to the knowledge that MY HEAVENLY FATHER IS NOT SURPRISED. He is good, He loves me (and you), and He will cause "all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 New Every Morning #38 is my newest addition to my series of small paintings, and it expresses some of what I have been feeling. I think it feels a little stormy, and maybe eerie, but it is a traditional format - almost an abstract landscape - and I am using that to show that even in stormy, eerie, unprecedented days, God is still absolutely solid.  6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint on Art Bite panel Ready to frame Click here to purchase via my ...

In the Hollow Yesterday was an usual day for our family, particularly for this phase of our lives. My son traveled from Dallas to spend some time with his sister in Michigan, and they invited my Beloved Husband and me to visit them there. (Hurray!) So my BH took time off of work, in spite of the fact that he has had so much time off because of shoulder surgery, and we went to Michigan for the day!  We got to see my daughter's office that came with her new job, and spent time walking near a river with a dam where fish were jumping. It was a pleasant day.  Sold 4" x 4" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Click here to view on my website. But on our way home, we started getting notifications of cancellations of all sorts. Just like you did! And it really kind of seems like our world is going crazy! There is so much fear, and so much drama. The impact of the virus and the res...

Painting based on The Silver Trumpet Oh, this has been so much fun! As I mentioned in the previous two posts,  I have recently started following a gallery on line who is planning an exhibit based on the Inklings, a group of writers including Owen Barfield.  As I read more about the Inklings, I found that they were especially interested in works of fiction as a means to communicate truth. Armed with that thought, I chose to begin several paintings based on works of fiction by Inklings authors.  For this third painting, I chose a children's book by Barfield called The Silver Trumpet , a book that I believe is, sadly, out of print. But I downloaded a copy to my computer and read it. Oh my goodness, what fun! The story is a scramble of familiar and absurd, connected and unforeseen, simple and erudite. Some twists of the plot seem to be something that should have been edited out, but some turns of phrase are pure delight! For example, almost immediately we are int...